Introductory threads: If you feel the need to post an introduction thread please take the effort to write something substantial or don't bother at all. Threads and post that contain only one word/sentence such as "hello & welcome to the forum" will be removed without warning as it causes unnecessary clutter.

General threads: A General thread will contain relevant information related to the question/subject of the title. Duplicate threads related to this question/subject are not allowed, so please refrain from creating them. General threads are supposed to be informational and reposting similar information multiple times is not allowed.

A warning about Alt-Coins: Almost all of the alt-coins out there are going to be a waste of time. They're being created to take advantage of people who get super excited about different things and then get pumped and dumped. Be careful about wasting time with too many alt coins. Be careful about downloading files, seems like there's plenty of wallet stealers around hidden as alt coin miners. You can find more good information in this post, and you should also read this thread: Beware of Increasingly Sophisticated Malware Infection Attempts

More detailed informationI cannot post images?Pictures posted by Newbies using the [img]-tag are displayed as links, because of previous incidents with spammers and trolls. See this thread for more information Images in posts disabled for newbies. It is possible to purchase to "Copper"-rank if you want to post pictures right now, checkout this thread for more information on that: Newbies can now pay a small fee to enable images.

Why can't I change my avatar?Only Full Members and up are allowed to wear avatars. It must be no more than 120px wide, 80px tall, and 100 KiB in size. It must be a PNG, GIF, or JPEG image. It must be safe for work.

How is forum activity calculated?Activity is calculated with the following formula:

Code:

activity = min(time * 14, posts)

Activity is increased by staying logged in or by posting and is updated every 30 minutes. There is a maximum of 14 activity points every 2 weeks.

What is Merit and sMerit?You have Merit and sendable Merit (sMerit). sMerits can only be send, they have no other purpose and hoarding them is pointless. When someone gives Merit to you they lose sMerit of the amount transferred and you gain Merit as well as sMerit (which in case you can send again).

Why can't I send a private message to someone as a newbie?In response to the annoying private message spam that has been happening, someone now has to opt into receiving PMs from newbies. The option can be found in their private message preferences.

You are automatically whitelisted if you buy a copper membership. You don't need to wear the copper membership, just own it. You can also be whitelisted for free by any staff member and a few non-staff, but we're going to need some reason to think that you actually deserve it. Do not ask me for free whitelisting.

Whitelisting is a not a license to spam. You will be immediately banned if you're found spamming, even if you bought a copper membership (and you will not be refunded).

How long do I need to wait between forum posts?Waiting time between forum posts is calculated with the following formula:

I added a system of badges to SMF a while ago, though only two are defined now. Here are the current badges:

Bitcoin expert

Dev&Tech only. People with this badge know enough about the Bitcoin network to reimplement something very like it from scratch. They are capable of intelligently discussing the Bitcoin network: current protocol, possible attacks, proposed changes, etc. Criteria: Recommendation by an existing Bitcoin expert or core dev and approval by a forum administrator.

Bitcoin-Qt core developer

Dev&Tech only. These are the core developers of Satoshi's Bitcoin client. They are listed here. Core developers are among the top contributors to Bitcoin-Qt, and they are all bitcoin experts, though they don't also get that badge.

The Glider(hacker symbol)

Awarded for people who have responsibly disclosed forum security flaws.

A core dev does not "outrank" a bitcoin expert (or vice-versa), and it's possible for someone without a badge to contribute meaningfully to a discussion with experts and core devs.

We would like to credit everyone who has been linked inside this thread. Thanks a lot for the hard work. If you see any mistakes or have a suggestion, please message me or Mitchell and we will look into it.